Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-12-17

10
which, under Providence, we Subsequent
" owed our lives over and over again.
Tho rest Of our gear, to~cther with cur
heavy rifles. we left behind us.
a few minutes before the appointed
tive we once more attended in Ayesha's
houdoir. and fonna her also ready, her dark
cloak thrown over her winding-sheet-like
~wrappings.
"Are We prepared for the great venture'"
SHE said.
1--WE are" ! answered, "houqh for my
part, Ayesha, have no faith in it,"
"Ah, my Holly" she said, thou art Of n
truth like those old Jews, of whom the
memory plaques me SO sorelv, unbelieving
and hard Co accept that which they have
not seen. But thou shalt see; for unless
my mirror yonder lies"-and she pointed to
the cont Of crystal water-"the path is yet
onen as it was of old time. And now let
US start upon the new life which shall end
who knoweth whereof
"Ah." l echoed, who knoweth whereof
II we passed down into the great central
cave, and out into the light of day. AT the
mouth of the cave we found n single litter
with six bearers, all of them mutes, wait
inr. and with them / was relieved to see
Our old friend Billali, for whom j had con
ceived q sort Of affection. Itappeared that,
for reasons not necessary to explain ut
length, Ayesha had thought it best that,
with the exception of herself, we should
DtpGfCNt oi iopt, olii tliIS VIC WCIC nOlllllk
loathe 20 do, after our long confinement in
caves, which, however suitable they might
be for sarcophagt-a singufarly inappropri-
ate word, by the way, for these particular
t0mbs, which certainly did not consume
the bodies given to their k~eeping--were
depressing habitationg for breathing NOR
tails like ourselves. Either by accident OK
by the orders of She, the space in front Of
The cave where We had behe,d that awful
dance was perfectly clear of spectators.
Not n soul was TO he seen. and consequent
ly | do not believe that our departure was
known to anybody except. perhaps, the
mutes who waited on She, and they were,
of course, in the habit of holding their
tongues as to what they saw.
In a few minutes we were stepping out
sharply across the great cultivated plain
or lake bed framed like a vast emerald in
it's setting of frowning cliff, and had an
ather opportunity of wondering at the ex-
tr&Ordinary nature Of the site chosen by
these old people Of kor for their capital,
and at the marvellous amount OF labor. IN
genuity. n engineering Skill that must
have beer brought into requisition by the
founders o; the city to drain so huge Il
sheet of watcr, and TO keep it clear OF sub
sequent acCunlnlations. II is, indeed, 80
far as my experience goes, an unequaled
instance OF what if.an can do III the face
OF nature, for IN mypplnion such achieve
meats rs the SueZ Cat,al or even the Mont
S'Aht' 800 49,
undertaking in magnitude.
When we had been walf.tng for about
half an hour, enjoying ourselves exceed
ingiy In the delightful cool w!icn about
this time Of the day always appeared 10
descend upon the great PLAIN OF k.r, and
in some degrA &c atOued for the want * any
land or see breeze, Tor all wind was i.ept
OIL by the rocky mountain wall, we be9~.i
10 get a clear view OF what BiIiaii had IA
| formed Us were the ruins OF the great city.
A.l .trat. frDtkN flnl IrA a taa tN. mi L..l
how wonderful those RUNS were. a fact
that with every step we took became more
evident. The city was not very large IL
compared to Babylon or Thebes, or UlNer
cities OF remote antiquity; perhaps It's out
CIR wall contained some Twelve square miles
of ground, or II little more. Nor nstd me
walls, SO tar as we could judge When we
reached them, been very iish, PROBABLY
not more tnan forty feet, winch was ABOUT
their present nelsnt where they hau not,
through the sinking OF the ground or some
such CAUSE, failen into ruin. 1ie reason
OF this. no doubt, swas that the people u
kOr, being protected from any outsiue at
tack by iGr more l~tenicnuouS rtinplrts
tAa any tiiat tae hand OF man could rear,
only required them Tor saow, ana 10 sutif,i
them against cIvn GiSCord. bat on th~
otner hand they were as broad as tley Wel,
high, bul!t eIltIreIy VI dressed stone, ne~H,
40 doubt, from TIE vast caves, anu sur
rounded ID a great moat aDOd. si&Iy leet
in Widtn, some portions Oh walch Were sili.
Tiled VIVA water. Auout ten minu.es D@-
tore the sun nnaiIy "a II We re;iCncu ttiI9
moat, ANA passed CoWn aiiu tArDush IL,
c~lanDerlAg across WIu.l eNr.eiiis NCiet..S
pilou up fragments Q1 d great o..d@c III %
art " 90 SO, anu inca NIli ao.4ic AA.lAt oii'
fcultv IN tho alone ~ the Will To IT'S snn-
nit. I wish that il lay within the power
OF nv pon To rive snmn idea Of the grand
err Of The sirht that then met our view
There, all bathcd in the red glow Ut tho
sinking SIM, were miles unon milns ~
ruins-columns. temples, shrincs. and tho
palaces Of kings, varied with patches Of
green bush. OF course tho roofs Of these
buildings had long since fallen into decay